Welcome to the Standards Aligned System webquest related to instruction. In this learning module you will be exploring the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Standards Aligned System (SAS), with particular emphasis on the resources and information containede in the instruction tab! To get started, please open a new window in your internet browser and visit www.pdesas.org. You can open a new window in internet explorer by manually clicking the explorer tab, or hitting "ctrl" and "n" at the same time.

When you arrive at the standards aligned system, you may notice that there are six elements aligned to student achievement. In school systems with high levels of student learning these six elements are in close alignment and very closely related. As we are investigating the instructional element of SAS, please click on the tab marked "Instruction" within the www.pdesas.org/Please take a moment and read the overview to learn more about the information contained within this section of the SAS portal on Instruction. Please keep in mind that you will using content learned in this section for the population of job embedded assignments, which will be submitted to your building administrator at the culmination of this self-paced module.


Objectives:

  • Participants will learn and identify effective instructional strategies to be used for core instruction.
  • Participants will develop a standards aligned lesson that embeds effective instructional practices.


IntroductionAs you may have already read when you visited the Instruction tab on the SAS portal, aligned instruction comprises the following activities:
  • Teaching topics that are aligned with the standards
  • Ensuring the right level of challenge
  • Focusing teaching based on the learning needs of each student
  • Implementing instructional strategies to increase student achievement
(retrieved from http://www.pdesas.org/Main/Instruction)


The SAS portal contains videos and explanations of instructional techniques you can embed in your lessons to assist you in meeting this goal. We are going to explore some of these strategies found in the Instruction tab on the SAS portal. Specifically, we are going to view Instructional Strategies Videos, Instructional Strategies Documents, and Instructional Strategies for ELL's. To learn how to access these resources, please watch the video below.



Topic 1: SAS Instructional Strategies Videos within SAS
During this activity, you are going to watch 7 instructional strategy videos available in the
Instruction
section on the SAS portal. Specifically you are going to watch the following 7 videos:

  1. Overview
  2. Engagement
  3. Explicit Instruction
  4. Metacognition
  5. Scaffolding
  6. Teacher Modeling
  7. Formative Assessment

In addition to the 7 videos you just watched, please get ready to watch instructional videos geared for your instructional area and grade span, if these videos exist and are available within the SAS Portal! Please take some time to review the instruction videos appropriate to your grade span and subject are if appropriate.
As you review these videos, please reflect on the elements of instruction that engage students in the learning experience. What elements of this lesson demonstrated "Best Practice" and engaged learners minds? What elements could have been strengthened?

Topic 2: Instructional Strategies Documents within SAS
During this activity, you are going to read 5 documents highlighting research based instructional strategies that can be used in any classroom at any grade level. Specifically, the 5 documents you are to read are entitled as follows:
  1. Secondary Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII): Tier 1 Core Instruction
  2. Cycle of Effective Instruction Graphic
  3. Random Reporter
  4. Think Pair Share
  5. Zero Noise

Please read over these documents. Please note that the document entitled Secondary Response to Instruction and Intervention (RtII): Tier 1 Core Instruction focuses on Tier 1 Core Instruction techniques for secondary educators. You will learn more about Tier 1 in the Interventions Learning module. However, this document provides an overview of 10 Effective Teaching Strategies and 9 High Impact Strategies that can be used in any classroom.
Topic 3: Additional Instructional Strategies

During this activity, you are going to learn about some resources available for working with our learners. On the SAS portal under the
Instruction
tab there are many
Related Instructional Resources
resources. Some of these resources support our work with diverse learners, including English Language Learners's (ELL's). Some of the resources contain information related to research, standards, or instruction. To advance your learning, please take some time to review these resources. Please identify a resource that contains inforation that you think might assist you as you work with learners within your classrooms. As you review these resources, please prepare embed an instructional strategy or idea explored within this section to you implementation plan for your classroom.
Assignments:
Assignment 1:
Referencing the instructional videos you reviewed, please take a moment to reflect on the elements of instruction that engage students in the learning experience. What elements of these videos demonstrated "Best Practice" and engaged learners minds? What elements could have been strengthened? Please outline how you will integrate two(2) strategies from the instructional strategies videos from the SAS portal into your current instructional planning.

Assignment 2:
Compare and Contrast 2 of the instructional strategies you read about in this instructional strategies documents. Highlight which of the instructional strategies you might be able to use in your classroom and why. Highlight which of the instructional strategies you think you might not be able to use in your classroom and why.
Documentation of Assignments and Survey:

The following link will take you to an online survey containing a section to respond to the "assignment" questions above. In addition, you are asked to provide your thoughtful feedback related to your experience in this online tutorial. Thank you for participating in this learning experience!

Please click the following link to get started: Scranton School District SAS Instruction